Congratulations to AEGEE-Castelló! They are the ACTive Local of the Month of August. They organised a Summer University (SU) with AEGEE-Valencia, and this great collaboration brought loads of success with it. They are not only the ACTive Local of the Month, but also the most applied-for Summer University. We spoke to Paula Rodríguez from AEGEE-Castelló.

ACT: Congratulations! Please, tell us a bit more about your local.

Paula: AEGEE-Castelló was a small local, but now we have around 115 members thanks to all our effort as a team. We are proud of last year’s results. We have organised several local activities, such as training courses and team building activities, and of course a Summer University together with AEGEE-Valencia. It was an amazing feeling to know that we were the most applied-for Summer University!

​You organised the Summer University, including two workshops that have contributed to the Action Agenda. Can you tell us more about ​your events?

The Summer University was about learning the Mediterranean history of the Valencia and Castelló regions through its castles and festivals. We chose this topic about a year ago, because we wanted to show everybody our culture, parties and important places. Our main aim was to show our participants that we can learn, and enjoy ourselves at the same time. We have a region full of beautiful landscapes, interesting places and special food, that our participants loved discovering.

We had two workshops on the importance of the Action Agenda while paying special attention to Youth Unemployment and Civic Education. We also talked about the four focus areas, all of which were presented at Universidad Politécnica de Valencia during the SU.

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Why did you decide to organise this SU and workshops?

We loved the idea of doing a SU this year. The last SU organised by AEGEE-Castelló was in 2010, five years ago, and after the elections in September, we had a new team that was very motivated. A few meetings later, we started this amazing project. Finally, we worked together with AEGEE-Valencia and we had eleven organisers and twenty three participants. As a result, the number of active members in our antenna increased,  and now people know more about AEGEE-Castelló.

Once we planned the SU, we decided to include two workshops about Youth Unemployment and Civic Education. As you know, young people have difficulties in finding a job in Europe, especially in Spain. So it was really important to talk about the situation in Europe and how AEGEE is working to find a solution. Also, we focused on how to write a resumé and a cover letter, how to prepare for a job interview, how to face some common and weird questions, and how to find a job. Finally, the workshop about civic education tried to teach important values about taking care of our local environment as European citizens. Therefore we got to connect entrepreneurship and civic education in two workshops.

What was the result?

We had 23 participants from all over Europe, and the feedback was really positive. Now new and old members are really motivated to organise different events and activities during the whole year: SU, an European event in March, some Local Training Courses (LTC), and different activities in our city and in our university.

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​Why do you think the Action Agenda is important for the Network, and what would you say to another local that is thinking about organising something related to the Action Agenda?

From our point of view, the Action Agenda contributes to improving all the  knowledge that we have about the situation in Europe. It’s a great opportunity for young people to give their opinion, and contribute in order to change the future of Europe. We recommend other locals to prepare activities related to the Action Agenda, because they can put in their two cents as well as activate their members and open their minds.

Do you have any other big plans for the upcoming months​?

Sure. We are organising different local and European activities. On the one hand, we plan an LTC and local activities in the city and university to explain to new members what AEGEE is and its structure, to continue with the youth employment discussion, to teach them how to plan and manage an event in AEGEE, to create a really nice and bigger team to work with, and to spread the AEGEE spirit in our city even more.

On the other hand, we are organising two European events. One of them will be in March, and we are very excited about it because it takes place during the city’s festivities called “La Magdalena” and we expect it  to be amazing. Last but not least, we will do another SU next summer! It will be about dancing. We will have salsa and bachata workshops everyday, and also other styles such as flamenco, regional dances, hip-hop, breakdance and more. We want the participants to have fun and be able to impress their friends when they go back home.

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​AEGEE-Castelló has certainly shown the Network that it can be an example to other locals. What would you say to other locals that want to be as awesome as you?

We are very proud of all the work we have done in the previous year. We are a very motivated board that is working together greatly. We would recommend other antennae to work together, talk to each other and share all their ideas and experiences. This way, you will be able to set up amazing projects, workshops and local activities. And the most important factor is motivation! People need to know about AEGEE and everything it offers. It’s a life changer!

​Which sentence would describe your local and your event? (one sentence)​

What starts here, changes Europe.

Written by Tugce Carpaz, AEGEE-Eskişehir

If you have not heard about the Member of The Month articles that The AEGEEan publishes every month, then it is about time you get to know it better, and what could be a better way for that than looking back at the 12 members who stood out from the crowd in 2012.

Jana Pokorna – Member of the Month in January

Being very active on the European Level in projects such as the Visa Freedom Working Group, Jana Pokorna, from AEGEE-Praha and AEGEE-Istanbul, was the first Member of the Month last year, in January. In a close interview with Jana, The AEGEEan got to know and had the chance to share with you her passion for Turkey,  her mentality as being German and her AEGEE experience of course.

Moving on to February, three members became Members of the Month for their great contribution to the EBM reform. So, if you are heading to Valletta next month, or you are just curious to get to know some more information about the EBM, then look into the interview here.

In March, it was time to go to Spain where Sandra Tena from AEGEE-Castelló was chosen as Member of the Month because of her involvement in the organisation of  European School 2. Similarly, Didi Jaskólska from AEGEE-Turun became Member of the Month in April due to her work, organising the much-talked about NWM Turun, which seemed like a mini EBM with its 200 participants.

 

Sylwia Ksiazek Member of the Month in May

And we stay in Poland to find the Member of the Month of May Sylwia Ksiazek who informed us about her experience with organising another important event, namely the Training4Trainers. In the neighbouring Ukraine, we find the Member of the Month of June – Former AEGEEan Magazine proofreader and, more importantly, former Network Commission speaker, Olga Iatsyna. In the interview Olga tells The AEGEEan with joy: “While reading my nomination I could not get rid of the feeling that it is about somebody else, but not me. I simply cannot be so nice! Many times proofreading interviews of former Members of the Month I read that they never expected this nomination…”

And the surprises continued in July when one of those AEGEE members who always has many participants in his Agora workshops, Fabian Brüggemann became Member of the Month. When asked whether or not he was expecting the nomination, he said: “No, I seriously did not expect it. It was a nice surprise, having been approached by Ada and being told I had been nominated for this month. “

Maurits Korse Member of the Month in August

Summer equals Summer Universities in AEGEE and that was of course the focus of the nominations when finding the Member of the Month in August, who finally became Maurits Korse. In his interview, he gave the magazine a deeper insight into the work of the Summer University Coordination Team.

The next person’s antenna was the first antenna to be honoured by being Local of the Month back in 2011, but it was also without any doubt that Armenak Minasyants deserved to become Member of the Month in September. After Armenak, the focus was again on Summer Universities when choosing the Member of the Month in October. It was awarded to Hara Kogkou who has been part of SUCT for two years, and who is editor-in-chief of the SU 25 years anniversary booklet these days.

 

Then, in November Amandine Scocard from AEGEE-Paris became the honorary Member of the Month. At Agora Budapest, she provided The AEGEEan journalist, Olga Volovyk with the opportunity to video interview her about the work she does for AEGEE.

 

Sygrit Andringa Member of the Month in December

Last but definitely not least, Sygrit Andringa received the well-deserved title of being Member of the Month of December. In her interview, she gives a close insight into the life of the chair team and she talks about what goes on behind the scenes of the organisation of a statutory event.

 

Congratulations Jana, Thomas, Katja, Patrick, Sandra, Didi, Sylwia, Olga, Fabian, Maurits, Armenak, Hara, Amandine and Sygrit and thank you for contributing with so much hard work in 2012 to AEGEE. We hope that it will continue many more years.

 

The team behind The AEGEEan listens to your sugggestions every month, and every team member votes to your nominees so as to find the Member of the Month. Your ideas are important to the success of this process, and it is always a joy to hear stories from active AEGEEans and their achievements within the Network. We cannot stress enough how much your nominations are appreciated, so keep sending us your suggestions, active AEGEE members, for Member of the Month right here.

 

Written by Patricia Anthony, AEGEE-København

 

 

 

 

“Can you imagine the potential of this group in Europe?” Sergio Casado, participant from AEGEE-Granada asked during the last reflection session of the week. The room became silent. We all felt the magical atmosphere surrounding us. Now, ten days later, I think I have finally found the right answer to his question: our potential is limitless. In the following paragraphs I will explain to you why I think so, but let us start from the beginning.

I applied to the European School (ES) 2 after I got drunk on New Year’s Eve. I wanted to travel so I told my friend that I would go with her. At that time, I was not sure why I was a member of AEGEE. I knew I liked being in the organization but I could not find the reason why. I needed some answers. To be honest, I did not expect to find them in ES2, but, fortunately, I was wrong to think so.

I was among the first ones to arrive to Castelló, and, this being my first European level event, I did not know anyone. I felt awkward among people of various cultural backgrounds. I did not want to offend anyone, so I did not say anything. I felt hopeless. However, two days later, these people became my friends, and by the end of the week, they became my family.

At first, everyone was skeptical about what we can achieve in one week, but thanks to the hard work of the AEGEE Academy trainers and the unbreakable group dynamics, we managed to come up with great ideas that we knew would reach much further than ES2, and in the end, we believed that we could make a difference.

The organising team did a phenomenal job, and they also became part of the group. We have acquired several useful tools and learned many significant things in the field of project management, and I think we have all found out which roles are suitable for us when working in a team.

As for me, I finally found out what AEGEE spirit means to me. It means waking up to the theme song of the Titanic at 7am, it means drinking in a boat on a Spanish beach with 20 other people I have never met in my life, it means dancing to Macarena in a bar called Stuart Little where a beer costs 0.50€, it means learning while having fun, it means smiling when you think about the memories, it means that when you are 70, you will look back at life and say: “That was one of the best weeks of my life.” It means getting experiences that you never thought you would gain. It means that dreams do come true.

I went to ES2 as one person and came back as a completely different one. This is the type of event that changes you, that opens your mind and that makes you think. I can only recommend to all AEGEE members that they attend next year’s ES2 journey, and I hope that in the end, everyone will leave with this thought in their head: “Can you imagine the potential of this group?”

Written by Péter Mészáros, AEGEE-Budapest